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Some time ago, I asked this question. As someone who consumes significant amounts of fictional material (namely reading on Shabbat and anime/film-TV/reading during the week) these questions pop up in my own thought processes from time to time.

Would questions (such as the above linked one about Hugo's Les Misérables) be on-topic on Mi Yodeya, or are they best restricted to isolated earlier questions?

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  • "are they best restricted to isolated earlier questions" I'm not sure what this means. The question you linked to has received zero close votes to date.
    – Double AA Mod
    Commented Jan 19, 2017 at 20:59
  • @DoubleAA, however future questions are entirely different. If I were to ask future questions, I would try to ascertain whether such questions would actually be on topic (despite the lack of VTC's or down votes on my linked question, as you mention) Commented Jan 19, 2017 at 21:06
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    Can't think why they wouldn't be on topic. (On the other hand, I think the particular question you link to could be better motivated (why do you think there may be an halachic issue) and probably split into two (for the two questions in it).)
    – msh210 Mod
    Commented Jan 19, 2017 at 21:06
  • @NoachMiFrankfurt What is entirely different about future questions? I understand they'd be about different cases, but structurally they'd be comparable, no?
    – Double AA Mod
    Commented Jan 19, 2017 at 21:07
  • And another, kinda.
    – msh210 Mod
    Commented Jan 19, 2017 at 21:19

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We have no problem with questions about completely imaginary scenarios that provide an interesting angle on aspects of Judaism, provided, as with all questions, that they're asked well. It seems to me that the same value applies to questions about scenarios that come explicitly from fictional works.

One extra caution I'd suggest for scenarios from fiction is to make sure that ultimately, there's a clear question about Judaism as applied under a specific clear circumstance, as opposed to a question that requires extensive analysis of the source fictional work itself, since then, the question is at least as much about the fictional work as it is about Judaism and is potentially not in the general interest and not answerable based on expertise in Judaism.


Regarding the specific question you linked to, as I commented there when you posted it, I think it's missing specificity as to what Judaism issue[s] it's asking about. I've now voted to close it as Unclear.

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